Tuesday, April 24, a fascinating day transiting the
extraordinary Suez Canal. The canal in
Egypt is man-made and connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
Work began in 1858 and construction concluded approximately
ten years later. The “Highway to India”
as it is sometimes called is a little over 120 miles long, 79 feet deep and 673
feet wide. Three transits of ships are
made through the canal each day, one northbound and two southbound, going only
one-way at a time. The cost for each
ship averages $250,000 and approximately 50 ships a day transit the canal or
over 17,000 ships each year.
Throughout this passage through the Suez Canal we observed
large amounts of military and ongoing construction of what is generally
referred to as River Crossing emplacements.
Pontoons and bridge equipment were everywhere. Also, military guards were located throughout
the canal, especially around crossing points.
We did observe large convoys moving tanks and armored vehicles to the
East. Of particular note were the
surface to air missiles shown in a photo here above a bunker and the large
amount of anti-aircraft guns.
There were large areas of lush farm land on the West side of
the canal. Fresh water to irrigate these
farms was brought there through a series of smaller canals.
The Canal was closed between the two Arab-Israel wars of
1967 and 1973. The channel was blocked
by mines, trapped ships, and artillery fire.
Henry Kissinger and the United States worked out a truce that cleared
and re-opened the Canal.
The Suez Canal continues to be one of the busiest shipping
routes on the globe, and a marvel of modern engineering.
Tomorrow we arrive in the port of Alexandria, Egypt.
